Not a Damsel in Distress
by sapphirequeen8984
Summary: Hinata Hyuuga has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki in an attempt to bait Naruto Uzumaki. At least that's what Itachi claims. Because maybe, just maybe, this gentle, soothing soul can save the likes of Sasuke. Maybe she can also save Itachi from his own redemption. Naruto may be trying to save her but this girl can save lives. (Big bro Itachi, no love triangle because they suck).


**Hi everyone. I'm new to fanfiction and started this story out of boredom from a beautiful summer in Chicago. Hinata is my favorite character and this story is strictly NaruHina. Sorry if there are any disappointments. Criticism and advice will be greatly appreciated especially on my writing. Thank you for reading!**

Hinata Hyuuga was never really considered pretty. When she was younger, everyone made fun of her short-cut hair, comparing it to a boy's. They taunted her, by calling her Hino—a traditional guy's name matching her own in a way. But now, she was different. She was older and wiser. She allowed her hair to grow longer and silkier as she trimmed her bangs across her forehead monthly. She wanted to be noticed and compared to by other kunoichi such as her own sensei, Kurenai Yuhi. Her black locks curled and rested behind her back in grace. As her hair grew more, so did her body. The kids who once teased her no longer had anything to say. She was being compared to Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno. Sakura Haruno, who had been a close friend of hers recently, was a force to be reckoned with. At times, Hinata found herself jealous of Sakura who captivated Naruto Uzumaki from the beginning. She wished with all of her might that she could be in her shoes. Sakura even studied under the Fifth Hokage and it wasn't everyday that Tsunade-sama complimented a student in public all the time. No. It was just Sakura.

Hinata studied herself in the mirror today. She was decent. She raked through her indigo hair, untangling any knots but as usual there weren't many. She wondered if she should cut it again to impress Naruto since Sakura had done so. Contemplating on her decision, she did not notice that she had company hiding behind her closet with insidious intents. She hummed the song her mother had always sung to her when she was little. The melody was simple and flowed through the air smoothly gliding through the perpetrator's ears. He sighed, needing her with every fiber of his being. His eyes closed as he opened the closet. The simple tune stuck with him as he approached the alarmed heiress.

He hummed the song as he carried her out of the Hyuuga compound.

* * *

Naruto had just returned to the village and he could not have picked a better day. When he arrived at the gate he expected a warm welcome from his peers and villagers but as soon as he stepped foot inside Konohagakure, he could sense that something was wrong. The flowers along the roads were not watered or taken care of. They didn't bloom in the direction of the sun as they usually did. He wondered who watered them before and why they had stopped.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out to him.

"Sakura-chan!" he shouted, his heart pumping when he saw her. She looked ecstatic to see him but there was something about Sakura that worried him too. She had bags under her eyes like she hadn't gone to sleep in a while.

"Well, it's great to have you back baka," she chuckled, giving him a warm hug. He sighed to himself. He could melt in those arms.

"It's great to be back," Naruto smiled, releasing the hug and ready to tell Sakura about his escapades.

"A lot has changed since you've been gone and yet…nothing's changed.," Sakura sighed, looking up at the sky. "Konoha isn't doing well."

Naruto blinked at his teammate. What was she trying to tell him?

"What do you mean Sakura-chan? I mean other than the flowers not being watered, what horrible thing happened? I was going to get you a bunch but-"

Naruto stopped as he noticed Sakura's reaction to his babbling. Sakura looked to the ground in despair. Her eyes turned from happiness to its melancholic emerald. "Hinata's been kidnapped. She's the one that would usually water the flowers, Naruto."

Naruto's excitement to come back to Konoha immediately diminished. Hinata Hyuuga? The sweet, weird girl that no one really thought of twice? The one that grew incredibly strong during the Bikochuu mission. The one that fought Neji with bravery. The one that would always faint. Naruto did not know how to react to the news. He gritted his teeth and uttered out his confusion, "But how, Sakura-chan? She was so strong! Who kidnapped her?! Are there searches being made? What's happening?"

"We don't know who did it. There was no trace of them but whoever they were, they were able to enter not only Konoha undetected but the Hyuuga compound as well. There were signs of struggling in Hinata's room but not much else."

Naruto was angry now. How dare they? Why sweet, innocent Hinata? Why the quiet girl no one paid attention to? And then he realized the answer. Her Byakugan was supposed to be a kekkei genkai as unique as Sasuke's Sharingan. Whoever took her was selfish and didn't care that she was a kind-hearted soul who could not hurt a fly. Naruto balled up his fist as the knuckles turned white against his skin.

"Lady Tsunade's almost certain that she's dead. And if she's still alive, the Hyuuga would disown her without her eyes-," Sakura sniffed.

Tears brimmed the edges of her eyes. Naruto was still confused at the tragic events pertaining to the Hyuuga clan, but he knew one thing was for sure. "Well, I know what my first mission back here will be."


End file.
